Transcript First Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas

First Battle of Bull
Run/First Manassas
Lia Mossler and Maddie Roger
Back to the Basics
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First major battle of the American Civil War
July 21, 1861
Price William County, Virginia
Ended idea of the “90 day war”
Called Battle of Bull Run by Union and First Manassas by the Confederates
Bloodiest battle in U.S. history (at that point in time)—Battle provided the
realization that the Civil War was going to be deadly
• 60,680 soldiers fought and an estimated 4,878 casualties
Break It Down
• Ordered by President Lincoln, 35,000 Union troops led by Irvin McDowell marched from
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federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate forces led by P.G.T Beauregard
of 20,000 along a small river called Bull Run
They did this in hopes of opening the confederate capital, Richmond (near Manassas
Junction) Virginia, to end the war quickly
For backup, Confederate forces called General Joseph E. Johnson for reinforcement, who
supplied the Confederate forces 11,000 rebel soldiers
After Confederate forces were on defense for most of the day, the rebels of the force were
able to break the union right flank and the union retreated back to Washington
This is a shock to the North and a confidence boost to the South
North realized battle would not be as easy as they had assumed
Impact
• Northerners who expected and quick and decisive victory were shocked by
the reality of the long and gruesome war that awaited them
• Southerners were given a false hope by this first battle and were unaware of
what was to come
• Aka THIS WAS GOING TO BE A LONG WAR
“On our arrival into the open field I saw
I should judge three or four thousand
rebels retreating for a dense woods, firing
as they retreated, while from another part
of the woods a perfect hail storm of
bullets, round shot and shell was poured
upon us, tearing through our ranks and
scattering death and confusion
everywhere; but with a yell and a roar we
charged upon them driving them again
into the woods with fearful loss. In the
mean time our battery came up to our
support and commenced hurling
destruction among the rebels.” –Samuel
J. English
OPVL AND CITATIONS
Origin:
Who: Samuel J. English was a Corporal in
Company D of the Second Rhode Island
Volunteers.
When? 1861-shortly after battle
Is it a primary source? Yes, it is a primary Source
Purpose:
Why was this written? It was a letter in
inform his mom about the battle’s events
Who was the intended audience? His family,
more specifically his mother
Is this a propaganda piece? No, it is an
informational source
Limitations:
What part can we NOT tell? The Confederate side of the battle
Is it inaccurately reflecting the situation? There may be over
exaggerated facts throughout the letter, due to his “side”
What is purposefully left out? The flaws the Union made through the
battle
Value:
Is it a reaction to various events? Yes, it is a first hand account of a
battle.
What can we tell about the author? He is a Union solider in the Civil
War
Does the author represent a “side”? Yes, he represents the Union
(North) and their ideals of a fixed nation
"Bull Run." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
History.com Staff. "First Battle of Bull Run." History.com. A&E Television
"The First Battle of Bull Run, 1861", EyeWitness to History,
https://play.kahoot.it/#/intro?quizId=9243df81-71f4-4ca5-8bed-a977d90710b8
Networks, 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2004).